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Hospitals reject proposed tariff cuts for 2015-16 over safety fears

NHS hospitals in England have taken the unprecedented step of rejecting the proposed national payment tariff for 2015-16 after concluding that they could “no longer guarantee sustainable and safe care” under the financial terms being offered.

NHS Providers, the organisation that represents hospital, community, ambulance, and mental health trusts, said that 75% of its more than 200 members had voted to reject the tariff for 2015-16, as the proposed settlement required “unachievable efficiency savings” and would put the care of patients at risk. It said that the veto was a “last resort” but that it was imperative that service providers were “fully and properly paid” for the care they provided. It pointed out that 80% of England’s hospitals were already in financial deficit and that the 2015-16 offer would lead to £1.7bn (€2.3bn; $2.6bn) being taken away from NHS providers, despite an expected 4% increase in demand. …